Method of separating acetylene and hydrogen.



' y G. OQCURME, 1R.

f METHOD OF SEPARATING ACETYLENE AND HYDROGEII.

APPLICATION FILED IULYZO, I9I5.

y LISLI 15. Patented May 2, 191s.

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GEBGE 0. GERNE; JE., OF FTTSBURGH, IPENNSYLVANL, ASSIGNR T0 THE PRESE-- LTE CHPAHY, INC., GF NDINPLIS, NLUIAN, A CORFORATN 0F NEW YORK.

LSLS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented Hay 23, 191th.

Application tiled July 2f), 1915. Serial No. 46,372.

To zZZ whom if may concern Be it known that I, Grosor. O. Comte. a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, Allegheny county, and State of Pennsylvania, have invented and discovered certain new and useful improvements 1n Methods of Separating Acctylene and ily# drogen, of which the following is a spec1i cation.

The object of my said invention is to provide a method and means for the separation )of Various gases in a gaseous mixture containing acetylene, ethylene. methane and hydrogen with traces oi other gaseous suhstances, such as impurities` whereby the available zfrases are separated one from another in a form and'condition in which they are available for successful commercial use, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

The accompanying drawing illustrates an apparatus for carrying out my' process, although it will be understood as shown merely to enable the process to be more readily understood and not with the intention of illustratinfg` an apparatus which is considered perfect for the purpose or even of the form that vwill probably be inost largely employed, as its lorm and arrangement is susceptible to a large variety oi modifications in order to suit it to the capacity of thcl apparatus with which it is to be used and also to the locality or space in which it is desired to locate it.

In such apparatus 10 represents a vessel which may be of any appropriate orinarid size for theparticular apparatus with which itis to be used. An inlet pipe 11 leads from .the source of supply of the gaseous mixture. A controlling valve 12 is mounted in said inlet pipe.V Tivo outlet'pipes 13 and 14 respectively, lead from the opposite end of said vessel` the pipe 13 having a valve 15 for controlling the tion' therethrough and the pipe 14 having a corresponding valve 16.

The pipe 13 is intended to lead to a hydrogen holder or tank and pipe 1l to an acetylene holder or receiver. T he interior of the vessel 10 may be divided by partitions (notA passing from the inlet to theutletl, pass in Contact with the charcoal at all times throughout the serpentine passage. llihile any grade of charcoal found suitable may be employed, ivood charcoal, kpreferably pine, well burnt, or completely carbonized, is 'preferred for the most efficient Work.

The gaseous substance which this process and apparatus are designed to separate is that product produced by the process forniingthe subject matter of my other application. filed JulyQG,`191. This product as described in said application consists of acetylene, ethylene, methane, hydrogen and traces of other substances, the valuable conn stitucnts of which are the acetylene and hydrogen, the ethylene, so far as this process is concerned, going with the acetylene.

In carrying out my process, an apparatus Y such as shown and described, or one ot' any other suitable arrangement, is connected with the container in which the gaseous substance ,before mentioned is stored. The

pipes 13 and 14 are connected to the receivers arranged to receive the respective gases. The apparatus is used in a room of normal or room temperature or may be in a room Where the temperature is artificially reduced, in which case higher eiiiciency may be attained, but the sharpness of the separation would be the same. Byroo1n temperature I mean the ordinary Working temperature of the room in Which the apparatus is located, which, or a lower temperature, has been found to produce good results. The charcoal, having an affinity for the acetylene and ethylene, takes up or absorbs said gases, retaining them Within the vessel 10, While the hydrogen and'other gases pass through the vessel and out the pipe 13 unretarded, and unchanged. This process continues until the capacity of the charcoal Within the vessel is fully utilized or until it has taken up all of the acetylene and ethylene gases, which such a quantity of charcoal is capable of containing. This can be determined by a test solution of appropriate chemicals attached to the outlet pipe 13, which is very simple and -Will show a change in color immediately on the passing' ol the first particle of acetylene gas. Valve 12- is then innnedi ately closed to stop the indou' of the gaseous mixture. Thc'valve l5 is closed to prevent the outflow of the acetylene with the hydro.v

gen, Yalve 16 is opened and heat is then'ap plied to the vessel 10, raisins; its temperature to around 200 C* at which tempera.-

l L L holder ...containing itvwill I A a Q Lianne tinue indefinitely or so long as there is any vsupply of the gaseous mixture flowing from the storage container through pipe 11. maitlstwd, oteluiselhatin tl einteilen the gasfuilnhiesearing.. tin ugh lenmhblder int'ivhih pipe l-l discharges may be connected with a pump by which the acetylene may be drar'n from vessel 10 after being freed from the charcoal by heat, or by a vacuum created in said holder. All of these details may be varied and 'adapted to the particular place and apparatus, as will be readily understood. While the use of charcoal in the separation of gases is well known in the science ot chemistry and no claim is therefore made to the basic principle, yet it is believed that the application of this known atiinity -of charcoal for certain gases to this particular use, is entirely new and that the method ot its use 1s new, inasmuch as the particular gaseous product which the above described process is designed to separate has in itself never before existed, so far as has been ascertained. The acetylene is the chief constituent of the gases talren up by the charcoal and given ofi by the process of heating, the ethylene contained therein being a comparatively sinall quantity and believed to in no Way impair the value ofthe acetylene for such usesas it is commonly enaployed for. It is possible, however, to separate the et-hlyene from the acetylene. by an additional process` should it be found necessary to do so. The hydrogen is the other valuable constituent of the combination and may be used for various purposes in the -condition in which itpasses out from the vessel 10 through pipe 13, notwithstanding it is not chemically pure. I Wish to ernphasize the fact, however that it is free from all impurities of the type known as catalytic poisons so that it is especially .well adapted for use in catalytic hydrogenations.

Having thus fully;r described my said invention, what claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. The process of separating a gaseous Also that the acetv-I lmixture containing acetylene, ethylene, h

drogen and traces of other gaseous su stances which consists in passing said niixture over a body of charcoal at room tern perature or below, directing the hydrogen into a separate container, then heating the charcoal and directing vthe acetylene into another container, substantially as set forth.

2. The process of separating a gaseous mixture containing acetylene and hydrogen with other gaseous substances which consists in passing the mixture through a body of charcoal confined in a container, allow ting .thehydrogen and-such substances as are not taken up by the charcoal to flow from said container, then closing the outlet for the hydrogen and the inlet for the mixture, opening a separate outlet leading to an acetylene holder and raising the temperature of the chamber containing the chan coal until the acetylene is expelled *from said charcoal into said container, substantially as set forth.

3. The process of 'separating the gases comprising a gaseous mixture containing acetylene and hydrogen which consists in passing said mixture through a vessel containing charcoal at room temperature or below, allowing the hydrogen to tios-v freely through said vessel until a quantity of acetylenev has been taken up by said charcoal, then closing the inlet for the gaseous mixture and the outlet-'for the'hydrogen, opening another outlet leading to an acety- Iene holder, and raising the temperature of the vessel to expel the acetylene, substantially as set forth,

4. The process of separating the gases comprising a gaseous mixture containing hydrogen which consists in passing said mixture through a vessel containing charcoal of a character to remove other elements including catalytic poisonsf Aand character adapted to take up said acetylene,

allowing the other gases to pass out then heating said charcoal and dispeliing said y acetylene, substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof., phave hereunto set my hand and seal at `indianapolis. Marion county, Indiana this 17th dayvof July, A. D. nineteen hundred and fifteen. i l 

